Pasta and Chicken with a Little Texas Heat

The other morning, I was talking to Suzy about her newfound love of jalapenos and this amazing mac and cheese with green chile sauce that she had in Jupiter, FL last week. I like jalapenos but I’m sort of a wuss when it comes to spice. Well, I suppose “wuss” is relative here: I can eat it and I love it but compared to people who can truly handle the Texas heat, I’m a wuss. Speaking of Texas heat, in Texas, jalapenos are ubiquitous – I can remember in elementary school, boys in my class would eat plain jalapenos and I was in shock and awe! My mom can handle heat that would make Scoville sweat and Dudley doesn’t eat anything without first dousing it in a combination of: black pepper, red pepper, Tabasco, Tony Chachere’s, or red pepper flakes – the more the better. Quite honestly, I don’t know how he tastes the food under all of that spice. After talking about jalapenos the other morning, I decided that I wanted to make my own spicy pasta with jalapenos and blackened chicken. Z Tejas makes “Chicken Diablo Pasta” that I absolutely love. Now, my dinner was in no way close to that but it sort of served as an inspiration. Incidentally, as further proof of the jalapeno obsession, they also make a jalapeno margarita that is oh so good!

When I was little we traveled to New Orleans quite a bit because that’s where my parents lived for awhile after they were married and my dad usually had conferences there about once a year. I was a little picky (didn’t like fish of any sort) and that makes eating in New Orleans a little difficult, at least at the restaurants my parents liked. So, while everyone else was eating turtle soup or gumbo, I usually ate a grilled cheese sandwich or blackened chicken. Thankfully, my palate has improved but I still like both grilled cheese and blackened chicken. Blackened is a Cajun preparation for chicken, or more commonly, fish (especially redfish) that involves a spicy rub and then sautéing in butter. I suppose it’s called blackened because the spices are dark, nearly black, when cooked. There are premade seasonings out there but I opted to make my own. By the way, it was super spicy so if you make it, you might want to cut down the cayenne.

• 1 heaping tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon leaf thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon leaf oregano

I pounded my chicken breasts out and then dredged them in the blackened seasoning. Heat a pan with a liberal amount of butter and cook the chicken until it is firm and the juices run clear.

For the pasta with jalapeno cheese sauce I made a cheese sauce and added jalapenos. I debated on whether or not to use pepper jack cheese but ultimately I decided to use a combination of cheddar cheese and a little bit of chevre and then add finely diced pickled jalapenos. I was really happy with the results. The pasta was spicy, creamy, and cheesy – altogether delish!

· 1 lb pasta

· 6 tablespoons of butter

· ½ c flour

· 1 quart of milk (or thereabouts)

· About 3-4 cups of grated cheese (more if you like)

· ½ c of finely diced pickled jalapenos

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain well. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the cheese and stir until it is combined with the sauce. Add the pickled jalapenos and the pasta and mix until the pasta is evenly coated. If you wanted, you could bake this like macaroni and cheese. I served mine right away because I was starving and it was delicious!